Phoenix Financial Ltd. Buys 5,101 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 19.1%, acquiring an additional 5,101 shares during the second quarter, raising its total holdings to 31,781 shares worth approximately $4.27 million.
• Valero Energy's stock recently reported a decline of 1.5%, with shares opening at $157.76 and analysts expecting a 7.92 EPS for the current year.
• Analysts have shown a mixed outlook for Valero Energy, with upgrades leading to a target price range of $165 to $185 from various firms, indicating a generally positive sentiment toward the stock.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. raised its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 19.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,781 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,101 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 22,402 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,959,000 after buying an additional 3,503 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 46,474 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,138,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $766,000. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $866,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 11.2% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 560,495 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $74,025,000 after purchasing an additional 56,274 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of VLO opened at $157.76 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $157.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.56. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $178.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. The business had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $181.00 target price (up from $177.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Citigroup downgraded Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.27.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.

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